


It Ends Tonight

by UisceOneLove



Series: Still Hank [2]
Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alzheimer's Disease, Angst, But finally a happy ending, Comic book logic, Field Trip, Fluff, M/M, Memory Loss, Mental Health Issues, Poor Alex - Freeform, Poor Hank, Reality Bending, Reality Warping, Reconciliation, Sadness, Sequel, Wanda comes to the rescue, Well Deserved, Yay magic, memory recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-08 10:52:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11080074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UisceOneLove/pseuds/UisceOneLove
Summary: Alex was tired.Alex was angry.Alex wanted to destroy everything he could with his beams.Alex wanted to scream and cry until it hurt and then just do it some more.Alex just wanted his fucking Hank back.





	1. My Mind's Unweaving

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so. This was a long time coming. I am so glad that I could finally get around to writing it, I wanted to fix my evils of the original fic. 
> 
> And of course, since this is a fic, I took liberties of pretending the MCU and X-Men verses aren't separate so that I could reference Doctor Strange and bring in Wanda, who has all her powers. 
> 
> Also, yes, the fic and chapters are All American Rejects lyrics. I couldn't help myself.
> 
> So, enjoy!

Alex was tired.

 

Alex was angry.

Alex wanted to destroy everything he could with his beams.

Alex wanted to scream and cry until it hurt and then just do it some more.

Alex just wanted his fucking Hank back.

* * *

_You’re my home_ , Hank had whispered once, _I’ll never forget home_.

Alex had to have pissed the universe off for that one. Getting himself locked up in isolation wasn’t just about protecting people from his mutation. It had also been the only way he could protect himself from getting attached to anyone else.

What a fucking dumbass he was. All he was good for was losing people.

First Armando. Then Erik went psycho and took Raven and Angel along with him. Losing Sean was still a painful ache in his chest and Alex would have to live with the fact he didn’t have a chance at saving him from Trask.

But none of it matched up to the pain Alex felt when he got up every morning to watch the man he loved come close to being a vegetable with no memories. No words, no recognition. Nothing.

Alex’s saving grace was that there was _some_ kind of so-called miracle allowing his husband to still trust him. Rely on him.

This was Hell. It had to be. There wasn’t any other explanation that he could find.

* * *

 “Come on, Bozo, you’ve gotta remember this place, huh?”

Alex watched the brunet take slow, small steps into the lab. He didn’t know why he kept doing this to himself at this point. Punishment? A minuscule speck of hope something will bring his genius beast back to him?

There was something…desolate about the picture before him. No one’s stepped foot in Hank’s lab for months now. Not since Alex yelled so loudly at Scott that his little brother started crying and hid in the hangar for two hours.

The countertops were covered in cloth tarps; the equipment was locked up in cabinets. No one wanted to touch Hank’s things, so the lab felt colder and more spacious now than when Hank had it as a second home.

The blond steeled himself as he watched his husband take it all in without an ounce of familiarity, just the curiosity of a child inspecting adult things.

Alex would have given up by now and iced his heart again if it weren’t for the fact it couldn’t save him from the love that kept it beating. Promises were like wrapping yourself up with piano wires; each attempt to break free made them cut that much deeper until you couldn’t stop the bleeding.

Hank looked over at him with a shake of the head, innocent blue eyes filled with the same question that came from Alex’s trials. 

“It’s not important,” Alex shook his head.

 _Many would disagree with that_ , a gentle voice whispered through his mind.

 _None of them are the opinion I care about_ , Alex returned to the professor.

The blond held out a hand to his husband and pulled him out of the lab. “C’mon, let’s go for a walk.”

_Alex—_

_I don’t want to talk about it, Professor_.

Alex rarely ever did want to talk about it anymore.

The fresh air and the sound of students playing on the basketball courts greeted the two men when they stepped outside. Alex could be convinced to join in a game every once in a while by the likes of Scott and Jubilee. Hank would sit on the sidelines with the others, wearing what Alex used to call his inquisitive face.

As long as Hank was happy and entertained then he couldn’t think of a reason to ever turn down a game.

This time, however, Alex was keeping it just the two of them. The same bench that he’s brought Hank to since the memories started being taken from the beast he gave his heart to.

Would it have been an act of mercy if they had just put Hank to sleep and let him drift off peacefully? Maybe. But Alex could never have it in him to do it. And no one else would dare to try it without going through him first.

Plus, sometimes, when he was lucky like Domino and Longshot, he would get to see a glimmer in Hank’s eyes and for a moment get to believe that his beast was coming back.

Alex might be on the masochistic side. Fuck off.

“The professor was talking about taking some of the younger students off campus,” Alex spoke up, taking a bitter joy from the way Hank was resting against his side. He waited for the brunet to look up at him before continuing. “He thought they’d like checking out the museum.”

Hank made a questioning noise as he took Alex’s hand and played with his fingers. If only this could make the blond feel anything other than pain.

“Maybe you’d wanna come too? I bet you’ll love all the fossils and shit. I bet the professor would be cool with it.”

The brunet rested his head against Alex’s shoulder with a frown. Alex wanted to never see that on Hank again. But he had a lot of desires that weren’t being enacted.

“I know that there’ll be a bunch of people,” he went on, “but I promise that I’ll be there with you the whole time. We can check out whatever you want. Sound good?”

He waited, and it still killed him to have to be patient but Alex could do it now. Taking care of Hank like this taught him that. He hoped that if Hank could figure that out and understand it then he’d be proud. As it was, Hank fidgeted. He squeezed the blond’s hand, busied their fingers, before looking up at his husband and giving a nod.

A smile bloomed on Alex’s face that comforted Hank enough to smile back. “Yeah?”

Hank gave another nod, fingers twisting Alex’s ring around.

“Okay,” the blond breathed. “Okay.”

This was looking to be a good couple of days then. Something to feel normal again.

A way to feel like Hank McCoy was his old self.


	2. A Weight is Lifted

Sleep had been a challenge that night for a different reason than the others.

For Alex, lying there in the dark feeling wide-awake was because this time he was excited. There was something that he could look forward to for one of the first times since losing Hank started.

They were getting out of this mansion together. Him and Hank, his child-like husband who was a source of heat plastered against Alex’s side. Just feeling the ease of his breathing was a gift. So museums weren’t his thing, but it was something that he could stand back and watch Hank look carefree and fascinated in shit even if he doesn’t fully remember what the things are. The professor will be there, and while Pietro annoyed the shit out of Alex, he was a decent brother figure to the students. Alex could rely on the speedster if there’s any trouble.

Sleep was for chumps. And if he spent that morning chugging down more coffee than normal, he didn’t give a fuck and no one else said a word about it.

Raven and Charles already assured Alex that they’d be getting one of the front seats as instructors so Alex wasn’t rushing. He figured the best thing was to let all the students get in first. It left him a lot of extra time to get Hank ready (and have more of that coffee.)

By the time he got out there with Hank most of the kids were on loaded up and ready to go. As he walked up, Scott was one of the last getting on. There was always a rush of pride when he saw his little brother wearing the glasses Hank managed to make for him before the knowledge to do so was lost. And Alex was glad that Scott was fitting in, making friends. Though he didn’t really like Jean Grey. Telepaths made him weary and the Professor was the only one he trusted these days.

Scott smiled at his brother and Hank when he caught sight of them and let that blue kid Kurt into the bus before him.

“I thought this wasn’t your thing.” Scott already knew the answer to that, but it’s a brother thing and Alex was always up for finding ways to do it right back to the punk.

“What, are you kidding?” Alex scoffed, keeping an arm anchored around Hank’s waist so he wouldn’t wander off or get skittish. “Who doesn’t like history and fossils and art?”

Scott arched a brow. “Sure.”

“Shouldn’t you be making sure Angel and Kurt don’t get into it again?” Alex asked expectantly. “You know the professor doesn’t want Kitty getting worked up again and accidentally phase out of the bus.”

Scott cursed under his breath. “Right, uh, yeah. I’ll get on that.” He said with a quick turn around and hurried up into the bus.

Alex held in his smirk, he could do it later when he was in front of Scott and proving his brother right and turned to his husband. “All right, Hank. You ready?”

Hank nodded, and it sent a new giddiness (shut up, guys can be giddy too, all right?) through Alex when he saw the excitement sparking in the brunet’s eyes. They entered the bus, greeted by the cacophony of chatty teenagers. It was another addition of normalcy that Alex was welcoming greedily. He guided Hank to the left and took their seats on the front row.

Charles smiled at the two of them from across the aisle. “It’s good to see you two join us. We need all the chaperones we can get.”

 _Thank you_. “Didn’t want to get stir crazy,” Alex said out loud with a shrug.

 _You’re both family_ , Charles indulged. _Being outside, around people he knew, it’s healthy for him._

“All right, students are accounted for,” Raven declared from her place in the back of the bus. “We’re just stuck waiting for Pietro to show up.”

“He just wants to show off,” Angel scoffed from his seat.

A sudden gust blew through the doors…and brought Pietro with it. And some unknown girl.

“Sorry I’m late, folks!” Pietro grinned from the front. “There was someone I needed to pick up. I am proud to present to all of you my badass twin sister, the one and only Wanda.”

To say there was shock would be an understatement. “You have a twin? How did we not know about this?”

“Scott, settle,” the professor aimed a polite smile at their newcomer. “It is nice to meet you, Wanda. As unexpected as this addition is, it is nice to have you join us and it is more than welcome.”

“Thank you, Professor Xavier,” Wanda stepped closer to the older man to take his hand and accept his offered shake.

“We’re all glad to meet you, Wanda,” Raven input, “now take your brother and sit, we’ve got a tour to get to.”

“Sheesh, such a warm—“ Pietro started, only for his sister to grab his wrist and yank him down the rows for the remaining empty seats.

“Now that we’re all here, onwards!” Raven declared, gesturing to Moira. With the doors closed and the engine running, Alex could say they were making leeway. Alex wondered if there was a chance Pietro won’t talk during the ride.

That, as it turned out, wasn’t that low of a chance. At least, he wasn’t talking at a pitch that left the rest of them banging their heads against the windows or trying to turn up their music. With Wanda there, it was like he shut everyone else out. Each time Alex would look back, they’d be in an intense conversation.

And Alex honestly couldn’t help looking. He didn’t know how Pietro never mentioned having a sister before. There were also very little similarities between them. Where Pietro was literally silver-haired and had some classic rock vibe to his look, Wanda was long curly brown hair and the style of Joan Jett. Which looked pretty good, Alex wouldn’t lie about that. It just made him actually curious why they didn’t know about her before and why Pietro decided now of all times was when to introduce her to the world.

Another thing? Alex wasn’t all that sure if he was paranoid or not for thinking that they were looking at him.

But his attention was on Hank. Watching Hank was something he’d turned into a habit when they’d first gotten together. The way the scientist would get so invested in his research and the crinkle it’d bring between his brows, or how Hank would start to chew on his lip. Hank also had a habit of cleaning his glasses when he got stuck on something. Then when he’d figure it out, everything about Hank would get brighter. Like he was radiating with happiness.

Now, Alex could still find those things, but for different, more simple reasons.

Alex watched that very brightness as the brunet watched the passing trees and homes outside the window. The inquisitiveness at the things he couldn’t recall ever seeing before.

The blond leaned into Hank and closed his eyes; he might be able to get a short nap in before they’re hopping off the bus.

* * *

Alex didn’t know what woke him up at first 

Frankly, he just straight up forgot where he was. After spending the whole night awake it made sense. Still freaked the hell out of him.

So it took him a moment longer than he would like to admit for him to realize two things: 1) the bus was stopping in the parking lot for the Museum of Natural History, and 2) Hank was still shaking Alex as gently as he could.

Alex straightened up and returned the sheepish smile his husband was wearing. Hank pointed out the window with a questioning noise.

“Yeah, that’s the place, Hank,” Alex nodded. “We’re gonna see some awesome shit.”

“I do hope you keep some of that language limited while we are here, Alex,” Charles interjected wryly as Raven helped him off the bus.

“Of course, Professor,” Alex called after him. The blond sat back and waited as the students cleared off, he was going to keep his fingers crossed that today does work out. Just because Hank doesn’t have his memories, it doesn’t mean that he still can’t enjoy what he used to.

After all, his husband was practically close to being a child now, so that should mean he’ll like this stuff the same way kids will, right?

When it was their turn Alex went back to holding Hank’s hand and joined the rest of their group outside.

“Here’s how it’s going to go,” Raven started as she passed out directories to everyone, “you’re all being put into groups of five. You’ll get to pick the route you want to take going through the museum but you will behave. No using your powers either. We will all meet back at the front at noon so we can hit the closest Shake Shack for lunch. Understood?”

A mass of “Yes” and several groans surfaced throughout the group that made Alex smirk. This was fine.

He can so do this.

* * *

Okay. Maybe he can’t do this. 

The first ten minutes, sure. It was fine. Cool wax figures and dinosaur bones and whatever. Fascinating.

Then it was thirty minutes and Alex had to calm Hank down twice because of the crowd. How many people come to a museum on a fucking weekday? During school hours? 

Then he had to deal with the kids. You’d think it’d be easy since Alex kinda likes the ones he got; Scott, Warren, Kitty, Kurt, and even Bobby. Like he said, he likes the kids. They’re mostly nice. 

But nice doesn’t really cover having to repeatedly stop Kurt and Kitty from playing tag with their powers or going into some of the displays.

Safe to say by the end of hour one Alex was ready to call a quits and bang his head against a free wall.

“For the love of—Kurt! Kitty! Guys! You know I’m reporting this back to the professor, right?” Alex groaned in frustration.

“But Havok—“ Kitty began with a pout, one that Kurt creepily can match.

“No. No calling me that and no more teleporting or phasing,” Alex stated firmly. “You’re not kids, you should know better.”

“Man, Scott, your brother is so lame,” Warren input.

Scott shrugged and stuck his hands into his pockets, moving on from their group down the exhibits of early civilizations. “If you want to get chewed out by the professor and Raven, be my guest.”

At least he can count on his brother to be as lame as him then.

“They should have seen my wrap sheet,” Alex muttered under his breath, then sighed and looked Hank’s way. The man had spent the last ten minutes standing in front of the Ancient Rome set up. Seeing that he’d been right about how his husband would act here felt like the one—if only—positive about this.

Alex smiled wistfully and decided he was going to give himself a break from this torture and take a seat on one of the benches. The benches were in the center of the exhibit, which gave him a nice view of all the kids while still being closest to Hank.

All of this did make him wonder what it would have been like to come here when Hank still had his memories. Sure, Alex would still be bored as hell, but listening to Hank talk about things was one of the best ways to kill time. Time full of facts he definitely didn’t remember from being in high school, but worth listening to regardless. Hank had a smooth tenor that Alex could listen to for hours.

And when that voice got all deep and husky when he was Beast, or that growling...yeah, so worth it.

“Hey, um, Mr. Summers?”

Alex broke out of his thoughts to find Bobby standing in front of him.

“Bobby, honestly I’m not that much older than all of you, call me Alex,” he replied with a half-hearted smile. “Besides, the Mr. Summers thing makes me think about my dad. I’d rather not feel like I’m as old as him.”

Bobby flushed, but his easy demeanor didn’t change. “Right, sorry, no prob. We were wondering if it was okay to head to the mummy exhibit? Wrapped up old corpses is actually a fascinating subject, considering, you know.”

“It’d be a crying shame if they had anything about Apocalypse,” Alex said warily. That was a dude he would rather not look at ever again, especially after almost being killed by the asshole. “Yeah, go ahead. Hank and I will be right there.”

“Awesome!” Bobby grinned, turning to go before he hesitated. “Are you okay, Alex? I mean, sorry if it’s prying or whatever, but…”

“Yeah, just lost in my head,” Alex replied. Damn, that is not something he wants everyone catching on to right now.

“Okay,” Bobby nodded, looking unsure about believing him.

“We’ll meet you there, Bobby.”

“Yeah, sure.” The kid nodded again and took off to catch up with the others. Scott should be good watching over them until Alex can catch up.

“Guess that’s our cue,” the blond sighed to himself. Alex got up and went to Hank’s side, giving his shoulder a little nudge to get his attention. “We gotta move on, Bigfoot.”

Hank looked back at the miniatures with disappointment, a sound to go with it that almost sounded like a whine.

“Hey, if there’s any extra time before we have to leave, I promise we can come back.”

It still didn’t look to cheer his husband up, but it got Alex a nod, albeit a reluctant one. It was a win that Alex didn’t feel fully accomplished getting. It was hard to feel it when it’s over something that Hank had an interest in.

However, they’d just barely started moving when they were cut off by a gust of wind and yet another appearance by Pietro.

“Yo, what’s up fellas? Just the star-crossed couple I was looking for!” Pietro said jovially.

“Aren’t you supposed to be with your own group?” Alex asked irritably, casting a look around them. “And your sister for that matter?”

Pietro pursed his lips thoughtfully with a tilt of his head. “You know what? You’re right?” he mused before grinning. “Be right back!”

“Please don’t—“ Alex started, deflating when the speedster was gone. “Never mind. Don’t know why I bother.”

Hank started to fidget. Worried it was in distress Alex slipped his arms around the man and hugged him.

“It’s okay,” he assured.

There was enough time to settle Hank before Pietro was zipping back. This time there was an addition of confused students standing around them and Wanda at her brother’s side.

“Seriously, does _anyone_ listen when they say not to use your powers?” Alex asked in exasperation.

Pietro scoffed while his sister fixed her clothes and threw him an exasperated look of her own. “You really think that’s going to be followed by a bunch of kids and teens?”

“We’re going now,” Alex informed the speedster, dropping his hold on Hank to take his hand and step away from the twins.

“Oh no, can’t let you do that yet,” Pietro declined and took a step to cut him off.

“Pietro, I really don’t have the available capacity to deal with you right now.”

“Then you might want to make some of it available.”

“I swear if you don’t move—“

“Summers, dude, just listen,” Pietro cut him off. “Look, I brought my super awesome sis with me for you and the former genius blue furball.”

“Unless you want me to shoot an energy blast into your chest for that comment I suggest you get to your point and explain why the hell you think your sister has anything to do with me.”

“Perfect question!” Pietro chirped. “You see—“

“I think it would be better off if I explain for myself, brother.”

Pietro blinked and turned to his sister as if the thought hadn't occurred to him. Pretty good chance it hadn't. “Oh. Yeah. Probably.”

Wanda patted her brother’s chest before she smiled at Alex, full of a kindness that Alex didn’t expect from a secret Maximoff twin.

“Alex, right?” She asked, only continuing when he nodded. “Pietro told me about your Hank." 

“Look, I’m sorry, Wanda,” Alex started, “no science or magic from that Doctor Strange was able to do anything. So I hope you understand why I don’t see how this would matter.”

Wanda nodded. “Yes, Pietro said as much. And I do understand why you’d be reluctant to hear someone else come to you about it. However, I do think I can help. You see, Doctor Strange has magic, but not the kind powerful enough to do what you ask even as Sorcerer Supreme. He is not able to change reality—“

“Are you saying that _you_ can?”

“I am,” she nodded once more. “I have magic. Specifically chaos magic. But my mutation also gives me manipulation. Firstly of properties, and secondly, the manipulation of reality. You see, I could warp it to anything I wish.”

“No offense, but I hope you aren’t leading up to some kind of big evil speech with that,” Alex replied, torn between doubt and being nervous.

Wanda merely laughed and shook her head. “I’ve had a lot of practice with it. I swear I would never use it for selfish means, or evil intent.”

“But…you want to use it for me?” Alex still didn’t understand why. It hurt to because there was a burst of hope that wanted to get bigger so quickly.

Wanda stepped closer to him, and in turn closer to Hank, and yeah, Alex did not like that at the moment. Her eyes went to the taller brunet, who was watching with confusion before but now stared at Wanda with apprehensive curiosity.

Alex wasn’t sure if it was him or Hank who tightened their grip.

“I do,” Wanda confirmed without taking her eyes away from Hank. “To lose your memories, your entire life, because of something so cruel as a disease is not something I wish anyone to bear. One would probably ask why I don’t just make a world where such a thing didn’t exist, but that’d be too large of a butterfly effect. So many consequences that I would have to do painful work to fix. 

“But one person? A fellow mutant who held the utmost of respect from his peers? One who I’ve heard was kind and had someone they loved dearly?”

Wanda looked to Alex, and she took his free hand with earnest. “Alex, I know this has brought you pain. At least as much pain as it had brought your Hank. Please, allow me to try?” 

“I…” Alex couldn’t—but—if he could have Hank back, _his_ Hank... “Can you promise that it’ll work? What if something goes wrong?”

“I can try,” Wanda repeated gently. “I can focus it solely on him, have it cured in the moment instead of manipulating time, that should restrict the change and keep it from making any consequence outside of it. And…if it doesn’t work, or if something goes wrong, then I will do everything to fix it.”

Alex wished he could ask Hank for the decision. He could, but this version of his husband wouldn’t be able to understand or give a real informed decision. In fact looking at him in that moment Alex only saw the growing anxiety that the brunet was getting.

The blond guided Hank’s face so they could look at each other. Alex cupped his cheek, feeling the weight come back to his chest. “It’s okay,” he promised in a low voice. Alex then looked back to Wanda and gave a short nod.

“Let’s do it.”

“Great!” Pietro said with a relieved breath. “Man for a second there I thought you were actually gonna say no.”

That was promptly being ignored. “We can’t do it here though,” Alex went on with a look to the very public area they were in.

“We can do it on the bus,” Wanda suggested. 

“Yeah. Yeah, that works,” Alex nodded. “Pietro, take your group and find mine. Scott led them into the mummy exhibit.” 

Pietro scrunched his face. “Of all the places,” he whined. “Why do I have to do it?”

“Because you can get to them faster than us and tell them that we had something important to do so we’ll be back as quick as we can.” Alex said calmly, despite being very not calm.

“Brother. Please.”

Pietro pouted at his sister before huffing. “I wanted to come to,” he grumbled before snatching up his kids and vanishing.

“We do need to hurry,” Alex told the female Maximoff.

With that understood, they walked through the museum as quickly as they could without being noticed by any of the other groups. Definitely not by Charles or Raven, which meant doing their best to think about things that wouldn’t get on the professor’s radar.

It’s as hard as one would think it is.

What also made a complication was Hank. Alex knew that the sudden urgency and change of plans was deeply confusing to the man. And it did leave Alex feeling guilty for it.

Repeatedly the blond had to slow down and calm his husband down and quell the concern. By the time they got outside and managed to make it to the parking lot it definitely cut down their time.

“They wouldn’t have left the bus unlocked, so how are we—“ Alex started as Wanda’s hands started to glow red. All it took was one of those hands to be aimed at the doors and they were opening without being touched. “Okay, that was pretty cool.”

“I have plenty of other tricks that you’d find much cooler,” she promised him. Alex had no trouble believing it. 

Wanda helped Alex guide Hank into the bus, finding a random bench to sit down on. As Alex started to get in, he heard what he was really hoping not to.

 _Alex, you have to stop_.

He shut his eyes as if that could keep his head clear. _No._

 _You do not know what you are risking_ , Charles urged.

 _I don’t care_.

_Alex—_

“Wanda, we don’t have a lot of time. They know.”

The brunette looked up, panic crossing her features for only a second before she pushed it away with determination and a sharp nod.

Alex grabbed the handle and swung it to shut the doors back up and took the bench in front of them. Red began to glow from Wanda’s fingertips again as she concentrated.

An alarmed whimper rose in Hank’s throat. He sent Alex a frightened look.

“I’m right here,” Alex promised. He held a hand out to his husband, there was so little he could do now to placate him. “It’s okay. It won’t hurt; she’s just going to help you remember some things. Okay?”

It broke Alex’s heart to see Hank so scared. He was fairly certain the only other times he’s seen it was in when their lives were at risk back in Washington DC and then when the team went against Apocalypse. But Alex knew that even now Hank could be brave. Hank was one of the strongest people he’s ever known.

“I’m right here,” he repeated, imploring for his husband to still trust him.

The fear didn’t leave Hank, but he did reach out and take Alex’s hand. That was enough for the blond.

 _Alex, I implore you to stop this_ , the professor’s voice started again.

 _You’re going to have to make me this time_ , Alex told him. _This is my one chance. You’d do it too if there was a way for Wanda to bring Erik back to you._

Charles sounded pained when he responded, and there was a moment of feeling guilty for causing that. _Not when I know how much it would change._

 _This is different_.

 _You have no way of knowing that_.

 _We’re going to find out now_.

“He might try to force one of us to stop,” Alex warned.

Wanda smiled slightly at him and shook her head. “He won’t be able to do it to me. But I won’t chance the time we have left.”

“If it comes down to it, Wanda,” Alex started, “if you have to. Make it a world where he never got it, okay? It’s selfish but I’d rather have all of him back and risk never remembering this than not having him back at all.”

It was almost heartbreaking to see her smile sadden. He’d be pissed for the sympathy hanging around there, too, but he was far past it with everything else happening. “I hope it doesn’t come to that, Alex. I quite like having met you and Hank.”

“I share the sentiment.” He promised.

Wanda took a deep breath to center herself and reached over to hover her hands around Hank’s head. She closed her eyes as the red made contact, and it started to feel like the world was coming to a still. Alex didn’t think it was for real, but it felt that way sitting there with his breath held.

And Hank…he didn’t look to be in any pain. A promise managed to be kept. The red sparked in the brunet’s blue eyes before they fluttered shut.

Alex heard the doors open but he didn’t care, not when he was waiting to know if he gets his husband back.

Tension left Hank’s shoulders. The hand holding on to Alex’s went lax.

A hand landed on the blond’s shoulder.

And then...

Then--


	3. When Darkness Turns to Light

Morning light broke through the window and brightened the inside of his lids. This was the kind of morning Alex didn’t mind; the toasty heat of the sun draping over his bare back, no kids are yelling yet, and there’s a the weight of an arm resting on his lower back right where the sheets end while the body it goes with is pressed against his side.

It was a morning Alex could smile at.

People thought he wasn’t a morning person and that was bullshit. He enjoyed mornings. It was being woken up by ruckus too early that he hated. He also hated it when the army would get them up at the ass crack of dawn but they were all known for being assholes anyway so you can’t get too much surprise there.

The body next to him shifted and Alex’s smile only grew. A nose nuzzled against his neck before a soft mouth placed a trail of kisses from shoulder to neck.

“We should be getting up,” a deliciously warm tenor murmured in his ear.

Alex shifted. He rolled onto his side and opened his eyes to welcome a pair full of love and recognition.

“Why would we do that?” he asked as he ran his hand through Hank’s hair, the sunlight catching on his ring. Alex melted when the man nuzzled into the touch.

“Because I have a lab to dust off and you’re supposed to go help Raven in the Danger Room,” Hank answered, adding a nip to Alex’s palm.

“I have a counter offer that says we skip the work and stay here for a few more hours so we can have each other to ourselves.”

“I don’t think Charles will allow us to do that for the fourth day in a row.”

“He should,” Alex huffed. He traced his fingers along Hank’s cheekbone, under his eye, before Hank took the hand and laced their fingers together with a soft look. “I have my bozo back and I’m already expected to share him with the rest of the school. I don’t see where that’s supposed to be fair.”

Hank rested their hands by Alex’s head on the pillow so he could lean closer. Alex couldn’t describe how _good_ it felt having this back. Having Hank back and getting to have the mutant look at him the way he was now.

“I love you, Alex Summers,” Hank vowed. Before Alex could do it, the brunet leaned down the rest of the way and kissed him, again filling Alex to the brim with those cheesy fluttery butterflies or whatever that he missed for so long.

Alex didn’t let the kiss end right away, coaxing Hank back into it whenever he tried to pull back. He couldn’t lose this again. There was going to be a big ass fear of that for a while.

“I love you too. Hank, bozo, bigfoot, always will,” Alex murmured when the scientist finally got away from him to get dressed. The brunet flashed him a smile.

“You’re still my home,” Hank told him when they were stepping out of the room and ready to go their different directions.

“I’m giving you fair warning here; I’m going to be demanding you repeat that shit for me several times for a _long_ time.”

Hank shrugged and pulled Alex into a final kiss. “This time I’m not going to forget to do it.”

It was still all Alex could do to not pull Hank back to him and broker a deal to keep him there.

“Blissful is an excellent look on you.” Came from behind him.

Alex turned around feeling a little bashful about it and scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I’m gonna pretty much agree with you until I’m given a reason to stop. I don’t know how to repay you for this.”

Wanda looked pretty bashful herself but pleased nonetheless. “I don’t need you to repay me. I like being able to do something good with my powers.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t think the professor has gotten there yet,” Alex sighed. “I’m still on Danger Room duty. Pretty sure he plans on running me ragged until I make a blood oath to never selfishly manipulate reality again.”

“It’s the shock,” Wanda promised. “I’ve seen it plenty myself before. Your professor is a good man who doesn’t want any of you hurt by a foolish decision. I doubt he sees it that way now though. He might just be having a go with you by this point.”

“We’ll find out whenever he decides to stop it.”

“May be sooner than you think,” Wanda sang.

Alex arched a brow at her. “Am I missing something?”

“Nope,” she grinned, and right there Alex could see a mischief that matched Pietro’s to a tee, “you’re just in time.”

“I’m getting nervous to ask what I’m in time for,” Alex replied, narrowing his eyes.

Too soon he seemed to get his answer. A commotion started below them, and with an almost unsettling glee, Wanda took Alex’s hand to lead him downstairs to join it.

“What could possibly have everyone flocking outside?” Alex asked as students bunched together to rush out the front door.

“You’ll see,” Wanda giggled.

Yeah, see he did.

The first thing Alex had to do (which didn’t end up being a challenge since Wanda was still the one leading) was get to the front of the crowd. Of which, once it was done Alex could agree with Wanda and see clearly what had everyone’s attention.

Standing at the end of the driveway was Magneto. A Magneto who was looking less like the evil Brotherhood mastermind and more like…well, the Erik Lehnsherr Alex saw after they broke Apocalypses’ brainwashing of the man. Even the helmet was still gone.

And there in front of the metal-bender was none other than their papa bear of a professor.

“All right, nothing to see here,” Alex said to the horde of students. “Get to class or whatever you’re supposed to be doing before I accidentally start shooting blasts.”

He probably shouldn’t be so pleased with himself how quickly they all dispersed.

“Erik? What on earth are you doing here?” Charles asked the man. He looked as surprised as the rest of them.

Alex and Wanda didn’t do a good job of extracting themselves from this. Actually, no, Wanda wanted them to be here seeing it.

“Did you do something?” Alex asked her under his breath. All he got was a shush and a Maximoff smile he knew wasn’t innocent.

Erik looked awkward for a man who was normally spewing confidence. He knelt down in front of the professor with a vulnerability Alex hadn’t seen since Cuba ended in a lot of betrayal and heartbreak.

“I was hoping your offer to return was still open,” Erik answered, searching the professor’s face.

“Of course the offer is still open, my friend,” Charles replied, thrown off but quickly recovering with an excited smile.

“All of it?” Erik pressed carefully.

“Erik,” Charles leaned forward and took the man’s face in his hands. “I’ve been waiting for you to get your head out of your arse and come back to me. Yes, all of it still stands.”

Erik released the breath he was holding, awed. “You never cease to amaze me with how open you leave your heart, Charles.”

“I’ve merely learned who to keep it open for,” he corrected, brushing a kiss against Erik’s lips.

“Yeah, okay, I don’t need to see anymore,” Alex declared to Wanda. He pulled her along back inside before the moment between the two men could be broken. “So that was your doing?”

“I know how to recognize a bleeding heart,” Wanda said simply. “I watched my father with his long enough and a man like Charles deserves his own to be healed.”

“I get the feeling you’re a hopeless romantic,” Alex shook his head in amazement.

Wanda shrugged. “Everyone needs a happy ending sometime.”

* * *

 

“What was going on out there?”

Alex felt like things were as they were meant to be seeing Hank at work. He grabbed a stool and set it close to the brunet to sit and watch. Hank did a pretty good job of getting everything cleaned and put back in place with such a short amount of time.

“Erik has returned,” Alex answered.

Hank paused what he was doing and blinked at Alex. “Magneto?”

“Yep,” the blonde said with an exaggerated pop of the ‘p’.

“What did Charles do?”

“Well first he said Erik could stay,” Alex recounted, “and then there was some not that subtle reconciliation between them and I got out of there when the kissing started.”

“Well,” Hank replied, still doing the blinking thing as his mind wrapped around it.

“I think it was a long time coming, as much as we’ve been pissed at him and fought,” the blond admitted.

Hank made a noncommittal sound. “I suppose. Did he say why he’s back now?”

“Well, everyone else thinks that it’s because he couldn’t stand being apart from the professor anymore,” Alex answered, “ _but_ , that might be because Wanda decided to give them that reunion.”

“Wanda?”

“She said they deserved some happiness. She likes Charles and she wanted to do something for Erik since he’s her dad.”

“Right, I forgot Pietro said that Erik was his father,” Hank took off his glasses and cleaned them with his shirt, brows pulling together. “Are you going to tell Charles about it?”

“And risk him freaking out about it? No way,” Alex shook his head. “Wanda’s right. After all the shit that’s gone on, he deserves something of his own.”

Hank looked like he wanted to say something about that, probably the part about not telling the professor, but he just shook his head and inspected his cleaning to put his glasses back on.

Alex coaxed Hank into facing him. “If the world starts imploding then we can tell him,” he promised. “But right now I want to be able to enjoy getting you back and Charles can enjoy getting Erik back on the good side. Is that okay?”

The brunet smiled small. “Yes,” he answered. Hank stepped in between Alex’s legs and brought their lips together in the smoothest way yet for an awkward nerd.

Alex curled his fingers into Hank’s lab coat and soaked it up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed it! Happy endings for all~
> 
> Also, these are totally the smiles they can't stop giving each other now:
> 
> So come say hi to me at my Tumblr, [Wolfnprey](https://wolfnprey.tumblr.com/) , and we can totally talk about Halex or Cherik or whatever! Or if you just want to ask a request! Your choice!


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